Outcast
by Imperial Lung
Summary: Zhao Yun is accused of playing a part in Liu Bei's death and even his own kingdom seems unwelcoming. After leaving Shu, he meets an unexpected ally from the kingdom of Wei. Somewhat based on a portion of Francisco Balagtas' Florante at Laura
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hello. Imperial Lung here. This is my first DW story, so forgive me if I get a few facts wrong. Later in the story, a few elements will be taken from F. Balagtas' Florante at Laura (which I do NOT own), just to make things clear. Okay, enjoy! 

**Dynasty Warriors**: Outcast

_Chapter One_

Muted sunlight filtered in through the screen windows of Bai Di castle's throne room, casting a checkered pattern on the smooth wood floor. Shu officers and bodyguards stood at attention at either side of the hall, waiting for news of the attack on Wei's Fan castle. Liu Bei seemed troubled since it had been Guan Yu who had volunteered to head the attack.

Zhao Yun stood at Liu Bei's left hand across from Zhuge Liang. He was also quite anxious for the god of war's safety since they had been together on the battlefield many a time. Though he hadn't sworn the oath of brotherhood with Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, he had been one of their first followers. He was distracted from his thoughts, though, as he heard hurried footsteps approaching.

A Shu soldier, who Tzu-Lung later recognized to belong to Guan Yu's troop, burst into the room. He was obviously injured, and seemed to be refusing help from a few servants who had followed him in. He fell to his knees before Liu Bei, clutching his side and struggling to speak.

"L-lord Liu Bei," he gasped out, his tone one of utmost urgency. "During the assault on Fan castle… The Wu army surrounded general Guan Yu and…" Here the soldier trailed off into a coughing fit, but no more words were needed to confirm his message.

"Impossible," Yun said almost at once, the words taking a while to register in his mind. Yun-Chang was too fierce a fighter to be taken out. The soldier HAD to be mistaken. He looked quickly over at Liu Bei to see how the soldier's words had affected him. The Shu commander had gone rigid in his seat, one hand tightly clenched on the arm of the throne.

"Guan Yu..."

With sudden ferocity, Liu Bei slammed his fist onto the wood, startling all in the room. He stood and ordered the nearest officer to bring him his sword. Yun stared at Yuan-te, somewhat scared of the unfamiliar flame now burning in the commander's eyes. "Everyone!" Bei said in a voice that resounded threateningly in the room. "Begin preparing for war!"

As Liu Bei started down the hall, Zhao Yun snapped out of the shock caused by his words. "No, my lord!" he said desperately, hurrying to kneel in front of the sovereign. "Our enemy is Wei! It wouldn't be just to attack Wu-!" But for the first time, Liu Yuan-te ignored him completely, continuing forward as if he hadn't spoken.

Somewhat hurt, Yun didn't rise, even as he heard Zhuge Liang talking to Liu Bei, trying to convince him to reconsider. Liu Bei had always listened to what he had to say before… Would a rift rise between them now because of Guan Yu's death?

* * *

Zhao Yun stood next to his horse outside the fortress they had constructed at Yi Ling. His Fierce Dragon Spear felt unusually leaden, as did his guilt. It wasn't like Liu Bei to send his whole army to battle for vengeance's sake. The virtuous Yuan-te Yun had always known seemed to have changed after Yu's passing on.

Yun could just see the trail of smoke from watch fires being lit across the river where Wu had camped. Sunset was minutes away now, leaving only a light orange cast over the land and the Wu army seemed just about ready to march.

Tzu-lung noted a suspicious group of soldiers near the edge of the river just across from their camp, but couldn't work out their intentions. They were out of bow range and a fire attack would be useless with the wind blowing away from the Shu camp. Still, he decided to stay close in case they tried something.

The sun was soon out of sight behind the distant mountains, but the fires burning from both camps cast enough light to see by. Zhao Yun mounted his horse and led it to the doors of the fortress, taking up a position where he could easily go to Liu Bei's aid if needed.

But a part of him, the part that had been hurt by how Yuan-te had treated him earlier, questioned why he had to guard a man who wouldn't listen to anyone. Yun shook his head, trying to rid himself of the doubt. He would just have to trust Bei... that was all.

* * *

Zhao Yun charged into ranks of Wu soldiers, cutting through their lines mercilessly. In his opinion, the Wu army was greatly outnumbered since they probably hadn't expected Liu Bei to use every last of his resources on them. Then again, he had heard that Sun Quan's new strategist Lu Xun was not to be underestimated.

Almost as if in response to his thoughts, a sudden cluster of soldiers came into view at the edge of the river where Yun had seen them earlier, but this time they had some kind of device with them. He wheeled his horse away from the troop he had been fighting with for a closer look. Then he realized what it was with shock—a bridge layer. So that was their plan. They had wanted to attack Shu from an unexpected direction.

The hurried gallop of Zhao Yun's steed kicked up great amounts of earth as he drove towards the riverbank. Since their forces were concentrated mostly on the West and East, not the center, no one else seemed to have realized what was happening.

When Tzu-lung was mere yards away from the river, the bridge layer came down with a crash, frightening his horse. It reared frantically, front hooves pawing the air and Yun was nearly thrown clear. A battalion of red-clad soldiers raced across the makeshift bridge, led by an officer Zhao Yun vaguely remembered to be Zhu Ran.

Managing to calm his horse, he urged it forward to attack, but was almost immediately intercepted by two other officers who had managed to get into the camp: Ling Tong and Gan Ning. Caught unaware, Yun had to abandon his horse to dodge a stab from the pirate's sword.

Yun backed away from the pair, warding off blows as he tried to see where the officer had gone. He caught sight of him running towards the fortress and tried to follow, but Ling Tong jumped in his way and drove him back. He tried to escape, but each time he tried to attack one of the two, the other forced him back. Their combined efforts only proved to aggravate him further.

At length, Zhao Yun managed to get away and began to search for Zhu Ran. But as he ran towards the fortress, a new troop coming from the East caught his eye. Yun saw a young boy with twin sabers standing at the head of the group and recognized him to be Lu Xun. Then the strategist gave a signal and his archers fired. Flaming arrows arched through the air, and found their target—the fortress.

Cries of panic erupted almost instantly from the stronghold as it was engulfed in roaring flames. Frozen in horror for only a split second, Tzu-lung charged forward. The doors that had been barred shut to keep Wu soldiers out were now doing the opposite and had trapped the Shu troops inside along with Liu Bei.

With a battle cry, Yun fought to get the door open from the outside before it caught fire as well. He could hear the soldiers panicking within and knew they were too disorganized to get it open themselves. Finally, he quickly moved out of the way as the doors gave and the injured soldiers stumbled out in a fray.

To Zhao Yun's great relief, he spotted Liu Bei on his horse Hex Mark amongst the crowd, injured but alive. All of the troops just seemed intent on getting away from the burning stronghold and ran in all directions. Yun saw that Yuan-te was going to his brother's aid since Zhang Fei's company seemed to be having trouble fending off Lu Xun's troop.

Tzu-lung ran to help as well, but when he was only halfway there, one of Lu Xun's officers raised a sword and struck Zhang Fei down from behind. Despite the distance, Yun could still sense the Shu commander's rage as he leapt off Hex Mark and charged down the officer.

Then Yun saw the Wu strategist raise his own bow and aim at Liu Bei who, in his anger, didn't notice him. Even as Zhao Yun cried out a warning, the arrow lanced through the air and struck Yuan-te in the side. Time seemed to slow as he fell and Yun could already see the fire leave his lord's eyes.

_End of Chapter One_


	2. Chapter 2

_Dynasty Warriors_: Outcast 

**Chapter Two**

Zhao Yun stood solemnly in front of the three stone memorials side by side in the grounds of Bai Di castle. Lying neatly in front of each stone tablet respectively were a pole blade, a sword and a bronze pike, all of which were polished and cleaned of any visible souvenirs of battle. A large splay of fragrant peach blossoms was arranged in the center of the raised platform where the tablets stood, a memoir of the oath the three brothers had taken years before. The smoke of incense curled skywards, mingling with the scent of the flowers.

Yun offered a last bow to the three and began to head back to the castle. It was only mere days since the disastrous battle at Yi Ling and the memories were still fresh and painful in Tzu-lung's mind. His greatest regret, however, was the fact that he had been unable to avenge Liu Bei's death. The news of the fall of the Shu commander had spread quickly across the battlefield, as had the fire, which only heartened the soldiers of Wu further. The Shu army had had no choice but to retreat.

Reaching the doors to the castle's inner rooms, Zhao Yun spotted a servant hurrying towards him. The man bowed low when he reached him and stated, "Master Liu Chan requests your presence in the throne room." Yun nodded in affirmation before waving him off. He knew that as Liu Bei's first son, O-tou had every right to succeed him—but Yun just wished that he knew him better. He turned left down the hallway towards the throne room.

* * *

The throne room looked almost exactly as it had when Tzu-lung had been there last, but Bei's absence gave it a completely different feel—one that seemed almost threatening. Wandering why he felt this way, the general walked up the aisle between the officers, noticing out of the corner of his eye that they were whispering amongst themselves as he passed. Further unnerved, Yun knelt in front of Liu Chan, bowing his head respectfully. "You asked for me, my lord?" 

"Yes," O-tou replied curtly, surveying Zhao Yun with what could almost have been distaste. "A soldier has reported that you were the only officer besides general Zhang Fei present during my father's death. Is this true?" This question was so unexpected, that Yun didn't answer right away. He could see no significance whatsoever in the query. Hesitantly, he nodded. "And you knew that Lu Xun was heading the troop that general Zhang's force was battling?" Again the perplexed general affirmed this. "Yet you did not warn my father or make any attempt to stop him?"

At this last statement, realization dawned on Tzu-lung. He stood indignantly, forgetting that Chan was now his superior. "Are you accusing me for Yuan-te's death?" he demanded, temper flaring dangerously. Liu Chan's stony expression and contemptuous glare confirmed this suspicion. Yun took a threatening step towards him, causing the bodyguards around him to tense. "How dare you even suggest this O-tou! You of all people should know my loyalty to Lord Liu Bei. I would never do anything to put him in harm's way!"

Yun looked desperately around the room for a trusting expression, but no, everyone seemed either suspicious or angry. Finally, his temper got the best of him and he turned to leave. He would NOT stand having everyone he trusted treat him like a traitor! However, he found his path blocked by two crossed spears and had to stop. He glared at the two guards and one of them seemed slightly intimidated, but neither moved.

"I have not yet dismissed you, Zhao," Liu Chan said coldly from behind the general. Tzu-lung didn't turn but answered stiffly, "With all due respect, sir, I have no intention of staying if I am not treated justly." The murmurings of disapproval fell on his deaf ears. Liu Chanmay behis new sovereign, but his worth was still to be proven.

"You are only making the situation worse for yourself with this insolence!" O-tou said, rage tinting his voice. Here Zhao Yun looked over his shoulder at Liu Chan with narrowed eyes, a look of pure defiance. Then before anyone else could stop him, he pushed his way past the guards and left the throne room, his cape swirling in his wake.

* * *

Yun stood on the balcony overlooking the population of Shu, arms crossed and face expressionless. A part of him was slightly ashamed by how he had acted, but somehow, he could feel no regret. _Liu Chan just couldn't be compared to Liu Bei…_ Perhaps that was it. He heard light footsteps behind him and he looked back to see who it was. 

Immediately, he recognized the girl to be Xing Cai, Zhang Fei's daughter. He gave a brief nod of greeting before looking back down at the city streets. The sight of her reminded him that a new generation now ruled the kingdom of Shu. Almost everyone Yun had really been close to, were now either retired or dead—he seemed to be the only one left.

"General Zhao?" Xing Cai said tentatively, easily sensing his mood. Yun nodded curtly without a backward glance to show that he was listening. "Lord Liu Chan has just passed judgment over you. I'm sorry but… he says that you are no longer welcome in the kingdom of Shu."

Tzu-lung stood straighter, a dark smile spreading across his face. "I thought so," he said in a flat monotone. "Then I guess I'll be going now." As he passed the young warrior, Cai caught his arm to stop him. He stopped and looked at her with a stony demeanor. "I just wanted to say that I don't think you had anything to do with my uncle's death," she said, slightly flustered. "I'm sure this problem will sort itself out somehow.

Zhao Yun's look softened slightly. It was a brave try, but Xing Cai just didn't understand. No one did. "I thank you," he said softly, before gently pulling away and moving into the hall. He didn't need much, just perhaps his Fierce Dragon and steed. He would head back to Chang Shan and hope that the Gongsun family would still welcome him.

He was sickened by his own attempt at optimism.

Soon, Yun found himself striding towards the city gate, only his spear in hand as he had not been allowed to take anything else. He glanced back andsaw that Liu Chan was standing on the balcony he himself had been on moments before. Flicking his gaze back forward, he noticed that the peasants in the vicinity were pausing to watch him. So, Liu Chan had decided to announce his disownment…

The Tiger General finally stepped out of the boundaries of Bai Di and stopped for a final look at the city. But no sooner had he turned around, did the gates boom shut, cutting Yun off from the place that had been his home for so many years.

* * *

Zhao Yun sought refuge in the shade of a nearby forest nestled against a mountain range less than a li away. On foot it would take weeks if not more to reach his homeland—IF they would even accept him. Either way, the trip would be hard without any food. Then again, since Liu Chan had been kind enough to announce that Tzu-lung had been kicked out of Shu, there would be little chance that cities would even let him into their gates. 

Obtaining food from the provinces of Wu or Wei was out of the question, thanks to Yun's prowess on the battlefield. It seemed like thereWAS nosolution to his problem.Feeling hopeless, Zhao Yun slid to the foot of a nearby tree and leaned his head against the trunk. _Where did one without a home go?_

_End of Chapter Two_


End file.
